Social Networking Guidelines
Social Networking is the big-time rage these days. Every other Internet Guru is proclaiming his or her new secret to making Twitter or Facebook or [insert favorite social network here] put thousands of dollars in your pocket.
If you're using social networks to promote your business, as in a marketing effort, then you need to follow this set of rules. Internet Business
Social Networking Rules for Business Use"
Use Some Common Sense: I'm always floored when people post comments or photos that they obviously have not given any thought to how someone may interpret them. For example, If it's not your business and you work there, don't post things like "my boss is SO stupid" or "I can't wait to get out of here - will 5 o'clock EVER get here..." or "our customers are crazy to buy from us"! Yes Mr. and Mrs. Social Networker, people DO read what you write...
If you DO own your own business, always present a good, positive image and DO NOT post things that make you look bad... and looking bad is not always easy to determine, so think about it from a potential customer's view point. This really seems like common sense but it's must not be (from things I've read!) It's easy to post anything that crosses your mind - don't do it! Search Engine Optimization
Get Up-Close and Personal: Why do people follow a blogger or other online person? Because they're interesting. Why do those gossip rags you see at the checkout stand at the grocery store sell so many copies? Because consumers want to know "behind the scenes" and "personal lives'. You may not be a celebrity but people will be more interested in you if you let them know a little about your personal life. Post about your children once in a while. Show a few photos. Post about your pets or hobbies every now and then. Post about issues that people can identify with, especially if you have a unique or funny way to talk about it.
Use Your Real Name: It can be uncomfortable at to use your real name and start posting for the public to read, but you need to use your own name. You're not trying to hide, you're trying to build a following and create a relationship with your followers. If you use an alias it will can come off as disingenuous.
Add New Social Networks Slowly: Don't jump into all of the social networks at the same time. Give yourself a little time to learn how each one works and get comfortable using it before setting up a new account with the next one.
Link Them Together: The Internet is built on links, it's linked together. Link your social network accounts so that a person following you, for example, on Twitter will see that you have a web page, and a Facebook account, and a MySpace account, etc.
Keep Them Current: Once you have setup several social network accounts, it gets a hard to keep the up the discipline to update. It's important that you do. Some networks can be configured to update the others automatically: some can't. But if you update or post on one, it's a good idea to update the others. There's no need to keep them 100% in sync but any large item or important information should be posted on all networks.
Don't Sell: Most social networking situations do not lend themselves too well for direct selling. What you need to do instead is to provide communication, information, and build a loyal following. Then you can drive people to your sales site, or main web site.
Interact: This should be a "Well Duh, Here's Your Sign!" point, but I probably need to drive this one home. The whole point of social networking is to network or interact. If you think you're too good to talk with your clients or fans then it's probably best that you leave social networking to someone else. You don't have to answer each and very comment, but it's amazing how big of an impact a little interaction can have.
Leave the Games, Surveys, and Toys Alone: Your followers are following you because they respect you, your business, or your [insert whatever you do here]. You shouldn't have time to play all those stupid games that go around on Facebook, or have a Myspace profile that takes 3 minutes to load because of all the crazy stuff you put on it, etc., etc., etc. The professionalism of your account needs to match your business - an attorney would have a different level of seriousness than a used car dealer, but neither one should have games, surveys, or other useless apps on their site.
Fred Black
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